“Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous hand.” Isaiah 41:10 CSB
I recently had the privilege of attending a special Father’s Day service. It was on prayer and talking to God. The pastor used the Lord’s prayer found in Matthew 6:5-10. He was illustrating the point of who God is to us and who we are in God. To do this, he brought his young son up to help him. He asked his son what he wanted from him? His son listed video games and candy, things a child would ask for from their father. It was a wonderful illustration, one I had never seen before. It reminded me of how juvenile my prayers can be to my Father in heaven. As I watched this scenario play out before me, I saw how this father would do anything for his son. I could see the love in his eyes as he looked at him. I realized, the boy wasn’t asking the right questions. He could have anything he wanted and he asked for a candy bar. Granted, I do not think God is a vending machine in the sky. I do think He can do anything He wants, but that doesn’t mean He should. Romans 1 says judgement is God giving people what they want. It’s God letting us have our way: “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen” (Romans 1:25 NIV).
There was another thing I witnessed this day, I realized, the son didn’t know what to ask. As he looked to his father before he answered, I could see the uncertainty in his face. The unspoken question was evident in his face; could he really ask for whatever he wanted? As he began to answer with minor things, he became more confident as his father encouraged him to ask for more. The look on his face went from uncertainty to confidence that he was doing the right thing, exactly what his father wanted him to do. We are to do the same with our heavenly Father. He wants us to ask for His help, He wants us to be bold in our prayers, He wants us to remember He is there to help us when we are facing our fears. He’s holding our hand, looking at us lovingly and saying, “How can I help?”
Let’s do that today, let’s approach Him with boldness as we face our fears.
Lord, thank You for always being with us. Thank You that You are holding our hands as we face our fears. Thank You for giving us Your strength and Your help. Forgive us for forgetting You are there, help us always remember, You never leave us nor forsake us. (Isaiah 41:10 CSB). In Jesus name we pray. Amen
